Jubilee MPs tear into Supreme Court, set mind to curtail powers

September 14, 2017 11:30 am

By DAVIS AYEGA, NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 14 – Jubilee Senators have vowed to table legislations that will limit the powers of the judiciary and make it difficult for the apex court to annul a future election of the president.

Senate Majority Leader, Kipchumba Murkomen said on Wednesday during the debate on President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Tuesday address that he will work tirelessly to ensure that the will of the people is not overturned again by “a few individuals” at the highest court of the land.

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“We shall sit down as Jubilee legislators and ensure we pass laws that protect the interests of the voter. These laws will seek to protect the decision of the voter to stop some institutions from making decisions that annul the decision of a voter,” said Murkomen while moving debate on the motion.

Murkomen who was querying the decision by the Supreme Court to invalidate the August 8 presidential election also accused the judiciary of being in bed with the Opposition, National Super Alliance (NASA) citing the failure by the judiciary to attend the opening ceremony of Parliament.

“The failure by the Chief Justice David Maraga and his deputy was planned. It seems they agreed with our competitors to prove that Kenyatta is not the president after rendering his election null and void,” he said.

Murkomen, a strong defender of the Jubilee Party and the government noted that the proposed legislation if adopted by the House when tabled will be geared towards protecting the right of the voter when choosing their preferred candidate.

“Going forward we will ensure that the law will clarify the foundations of our democracy because the decision of the Supreme Court is unacceptable,” he said.

In the one sided affair which saw NASA Senators boycott the debate apart from Turkana Senator Imana Malaki and his Narok Counterpart Ledama ole Kina, the Jubilee Senators said they will not stop from executing their mandate even if the Opposition fails to show up in subsequent debates.

The Senators are on Thursday afternoon expected to engage in an election exercise that will see them vote for their Senate Deputy Speaker. It is still unclear if the NASA Senators will attend Thursday’s sitting.